The Best Albums of 2019

From Young Thug’s ‘So Much Fun’ to DaBaby’s ‘Kirk,’ here are Complex’s picks for the 50 best albums of 2019.

Complex's Best Albums of 2019
Complex Original

Image via Complex Original

Complex's Best Albums of 2019

2019 was a relatively quiet year when it came to album releases from the biggest stars in music. A-listers like Drake, Beyoncé, Rihanna, Kendrick Lamar, JAY-Z, J. Cole, and Frank Ocean opted to lay low as they plotted their next solo releases. Only one of Complex’s top five most anticipated albums of 2019 ended up seeing the light of day this year, but we live in an era of constant music releases, so there was no shortage of worthwhile material that popped up from surprising places and filled in the gaps.

Newcomers like DaBaby, Megan Thee Stallion, and Billie Eilish took advantage of the 2019 release calendar and dropped excellent albums that positioned them each as leaders of a new generation of stars. Meanwhile, rappers like Tyler, the Creator and Young Thug stayed true to their artistic sensibilities and released standout albums in their respective catalogs, each debuting at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart.

As the 2010s come to a close, everyone has been taking time to look back on the past decade, but it would be a mistake to get too nostalgic and miss what’s happening right now. There is also a lot of groundbreaking music being made this year that will inform the sound of the 2020s. These are Complex’s picks for the 50 best albums of 2019.

50. Kanye West, ‘Jesus Is King’

Kanye West, 'Jesus Is King'

49. Doja Cat, ‘Hot Pink’

Doja Cat, 'Hot Pink'

48. Maxo Kream, ‘Brandon Banks’

Maxo Kream, ‘Brandon Banks’

47. Anderson .Paak, ‘Ventura’

Anderson .Paak, ‘Ventura’

46. Post Malone, ‘Hollywood's Bleeding’

Post Malone, 'Hollywood's Bleeding'

45. Tinashe, ‘Songs For You’

Tinashe, ‘Songs For You’

44. Rapsody, ‘Eve’

Rapsody, ‘Eve’

43. Summer Walker, ‘Over It’

Summer Walker, 'Over It'

42. GoldLink, ‘Diaspora’

Goldlink, ‘Diaspora’

41. YNW Melly, ‘We All Shine’

YNW Melly, 'We All Shine'

40. YBN Cordae, ‘The Lost Boy’

YBN Cordae, ‘The Lost Boy’

39. FKA Twigs, ‘MAGDALENE’

FKA Twigs, ‘Magdalene’

38. J Balvin & Bad Bunny, ‘Oasis’

J. Balvin & Bad Bunny, 'Oasis'

37. Rex Orange County, ‘Pony’

Rex Orange County, ‘Pony’

36. Flying Lotus, ‘Flamagra’

Flying Lotus, 'Flamagra'

35. Rico Nasty & Kenny Beats, ‘Anger Management’

Rico Nasty & Kenny Beats, 'Anger Management'

34. YoungBoy Never Broke Again, ‘AI YoungBoy II’

NBA Youngboy, ‘AI YoungBoy II’

33. Vampire Weekend, 'Father of the Bride'

Vampire Weekend, 'Father of the Bride'

32. Snoh Aalegra, ‘Ugh, those feels again’

Snoh Aalegra, 'Ugh, Those Feels Again'

31. 03 Greedo & Kenny Beats, ‘Netflix & Deal’

03 Greedo & Kenny Beats, 'Netflix & Chill'

30. Future, ‘The WIZRD’

Future, ‘The WIZRD’

29. Jim Jones, ‘El Capo’

Jim Jones, ‘El Capo’

28. Westside Gunn, ‘Hitler Wears Hermes 7’

Westside Gunn, ‘Hitler Wears Hermes 7’

27. James Blake, ‘Assume Form’

James Blake, ‘Assume Form’

26. Ari Lennox, ‘Shea Butter Baby’

Ari Lennox, ‘Shea Butter Baby’

25. Maggie Rogers, ‘Heard It in a Past Life’

Maggie Rogers, ‘Heard It in a Past Life’

24. Megan Thee Stallion, ‘Fever’

Megan Thee Stallion, ‘Fever’

23. Rick Ross, ‘Port of Miami 2’

Rick Ross, ‘Port of Miami 2’

22. Griselda, ‘WWCD’

Griselda, ‘What Would Chine Do’

21. Dreamville, ‘Revenge of the Dreamers III’

Dreamville, ‘Revenge of the Dreamers III’

20. Little Simz, ‘GREY Area’

Little Simz, ‘Grey Area’

19. Denzel Curry, ‘ZUU’

Denzel Curry, ‘ZUU’

18. Lana Del Rey, ‘Norman F*cking Rockwell!’

Lana Del Rey, 'Norman Fucking Rockwell'

17. Toro Y Moi, ‘Outer Peace’

Toro Y Moi, Outer Peace

16. Benny the Butcher, ‘The Plugs I Met’

Benny the Butcher, 'The Plugs I Met'

15. Solange, ‘When I Get Home’

Solange, 'When I Get Home'

14. Baby Keem, ‘Die for My Bitch’

Baby Keem, ‘Die for My Bitch’

13. Burna Boy, ‘African Giant’

Burna Boy, African Giant

12. 2 Chainz, ‘Rap or Go to the League’

2 Chainz, Rap or Go to the League

11. DaBaby, ‘Baby on Baby’

DaBaby, Baby on Baby

10. Schoolboy Q, ‘CrasH Talk’

Schoolboy Q, 'CrasH Talk'

9. Danny Brown, ‘uknowhatimsayin¿’

Danny Brown, uknowhatimsayin¿

8. Mustard, ‘Perfect Ten’

DJ Mustard, Perfect Ten

7. Young Nudy and Pi’erre Bourne, ‘Sli’merre’

Young Nudy and Pi'erre Bourne, Sli'merre

6. Billie Eilish, ‘When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?’

Billie Eilish, When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?

5. DaBaby, ‘Kirk’

DaBaby, Kirk

4. Young Thug, ‘So Much Fun’

Young Thug, So Much Fun

3. Ariana Grande, ‘thank u, next’

Ariana Grande, thank u, next

2. Freddie Gibbs & Madlib, ‘Bandana’

Freddie Gibbs & Madlib, Bandana

1. Tyler, the Creator, ‘IGOR’

Tyler, the Creator, IGOR

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